The invention relates to an axial piston machine.
An axial piston machine is disclosed in EP 0 649 974 B1.
With axial piston machines of swashplate construction, it is known to construct a swashplate on one of two pivot bearing parts which, on two sides facing one another, have curved guide surfaces in the shape of a circular arc section, between which a gap in the shape of a circular arc section is present, in which a cage segment is mounted with a plurality of rolling elements. In this case, the axial piston machine has variable through-put volume, the swashplate thereof being able to be pivoted to and fro in the aforementioned so-called cradle bearing by an adjusting device. With such pivoting movements in the peripheral direction of the circular-arc-shaped curvature, the cage segment is also moved in the direction of the circular arc, the length of movement thereof, due to the rolling function of the rolling elements, being substantially only half as great as the pivoting movement of the swashplate. During the operation of the axial piston machine, in particular with rapid reciprocal movements of the swashplate, the possibility may not be ruled out that the cage segment is displaced in the direction of the circular arc relative to its pivoting range associated therewith. This is undesirable as the cage segment thereby loses its desired support position.
In order to avoid such alterations to the position of the cage segment, it is known to secure the cage segment in its desired pivoted position by a guide device with an elongated guide element. A guide device disclosed in EP 0 649 974 B1 has an elongated guide element which is formed on both ends of the guide element and in the central region thereof from a one-piece wire which has one respective circular wire loop formed by bending the wire. The guide element may be rotatably mounted, with the central wire loop parallel to the pivoting plane, on a bearing pin projecting laterally from the cage segment. In this connection, the guide element may be rotated in its central region and is rigidly connected to the guide segment in its longitudinal direction. The wire loops at the ends of the guide element are respectively displaceably mounted in a sliding guide in the longitudinal direction thereof on the pivot bearing parts.
As a result of this known embodiment, the guide element is stabilised at its ends, namely by the shape of the wire loops, but the guide element in its central region is not only considerably wider than the wire cross-section, by means of the wire loop located there in the shape of a spiral, but the guide element also has a relatively low moment of resistance against bending.